Humans long ago relinquished their claim as the world’s best chess players to the computer engines that now play the most accurate version of chess and who now exclusively probe the leading edge of game’s discoveries. While play...
I run a chess club in a local school, and whenever I ask my students if a king can check another king, I hear a loud "No! Kings cannot kiss each other!" Of course, I know what they mean. Even beginners are well aware that this is the closest a k...
For 10 video lessons, GM Melikset Khachiyan is here to analyze his preferred variations of different openings. Melik is one of our favorite coaches but he is also a world-class player. Our lessons will come from games of his own and his students. ...
On October 17, the chess world suffered yet another devastating loss: IM Emory Tate passed away at age 56. Though he was taken from this world much too soon, Emory has left behind an unforgettable legacy, and he will forever be remembered as ...
SPOTTING THE ELUSIVE TARGETS Chess.com member speedyg2 asked: “I have been reading your book How to Reassess Your Chess 4th Edition and I was wondering if move 23 for White (Rfe1) is following the imbalances. My imbalance breakdown was that Bla...
"Chess" circa 1913by Annti Favén "A combination is a tactical maneuver in which you sacrifice material to obtain an advantage, or at least to improve your position. So, strategy then, is...
This is my third and final Cracked Grandmaster Tales article. Click the links if you haven’t seen Cracked Grandmaster Tales and More Cracked Grandmaster Tales. We’ll start with Najdorf again since some people felt that he wouldn’t resort to the g...
The famed Soviet school of chess has produced hundreds of grandmasters and dozens of world champions. Thousands of chess coaches teach their students using "the Soviet training method." But who can really describe what exactly was/is the So...
Genrikh Kasparian (1910-1995) was a very accomplished chess player. A 10-time Armenian champion, Kasparian was a strong IM and permanent fixture on the Soviet chess scene. However, Kasparian is remembered not as a great chess player —...
The following piece was written by Paul Hugo Little, a rather diverse writer and a chess expert himself. Many people have probably encountered someone like the chess expert described in the story below. (The diagrams and Algrbrai...
In my first edition of Cracked Grandmaster Tales, I shared stories about Grandmaster Rosendo Balinas, Grandmaster Igor Ivanov, a tribute to Igor Ivanov by Boris Spassky, a short tale about an unknown grandmaster, and a story about the late Wa...
Officially released on September 16, the biographical thriller Pawn Sacrifice is the latest development in an ongoing chess renaissance. Directed by Academy Award-winning producer and filmmaker Edward Zwick, Pawn Sacrifice offers a ...
Tigran Petrosian, the ninth world champion, gained the title in his 1963 match with Mikhail Botvinnik. Thus the Botvinnik era came to a close, since the automatic rematch clause (which allowed Botvinnik to regain the championship after one year fr...
"At the root of all advances in the science of chess-play lies the necessity of discovering an intelligible system of notation, by means of which the squares of the board may be easily defined and the moves of the pieces recorded." —...
Even the barest novice can appreciate and learn from the exquisite artistry and logic in the conceptual masterpieces to be found here. Join some of Chess.com's finest teachers on a tour of the most dazzling and instructive ches...
I’ve talked to countless chess fans over the years and though all serious chess players have their favorite chess heroes, many of them aren’t in touch with the human side of the chess legends. This is the first of two articles showing some of the ...
GM Jacek Stopa is here to show you how to win with the aggressive Evans Gambit. Few openings have a more swashbuckling reputation than the Evans Gambit which was even invented by the sea captain, William Evans, in 1827! Jacek is a practitioner of ...
"Thank you, GM Serper for this profound statement. I would have never guessed it on my own!" Admit this was your first thought when you read the title of this article. Yes, chess is obviously not checkers and yet, when I was a kid, I heard this ...
One of the tips that you will hear from top-level players over and over again is that you MUST study your own games. Chess.com is here to do some of the hard work for you as the best coaches on Chess.com go over member games. They will highlight t...
Botvinnik had regained the title from Smyslov in their 1958 rematch, but soon he had a new challenger: the fiery Latvian player Mikhail Tal. Tal had appeared out of nowhere, and within a few years went from an unknown young player to a challenge...
If it feels like we haven't had a Death Match since the early summer, that's because we haven't! Back when GM Maxim Dlugy claimed his title, the days were at their longest and outdoor barbecues were in full swing. But don't fret! As th...
Though I’ve written about chess psychology in my book (How to Reassess Your Chess 4th Edition – almost 90 pages on the subject!) and in articles on Chess.com, I will continue to do so from time to time since it’s an ext...
Sometimes we can observe a peculiar situation in chess: one of the pieces on the board practically doesn't exist. Yes, it is there: we can see it, we can feel it, but we cannot move it. Therefore, in most of the cases, for a practical purpose su...
Although Vasily Smyslov was only the world champion for one year, he is nevertheless remembered as among the greatest players ever, and his matches with Mikhail Botvinnik dominated chess in the 1950s. All in all, they played three matches, with ...
